i was thinking about this this-morning. Being that the division isnt that great makes the points total not look AS bad.. but if they cant figure out how to start walking away from games with 2 points soon theyre going to dig themselves a hole that they just cant get out of if they drastically improve later on in the season(and we get a new coach)

The good news? The new playoff format means we're only 4 points out of 3rd place in the Division.

The bad news? Can't see this team improving much. Definitely an under .500 team.

The Devils finished last season with an .894 save percentage, and that was with Johan Hedberg. So far this year they're at .895. I mean, yeah, if that number doesn't improve they're finished, but I think it will.

They have 20 goals in 10 games. The Columbus Blue Jackets finished with 164 in 2001-2002 - I think that's a modern-era record (1996-now), but I can't be sure. You don't think this team has a better offense than an expansion team? It's not going to be a good offense, but I don't think it's the worst in NHL history.

You can't see this team improving much? Don't really buy it. They need to dig out of this hole, but they can play a heck of a lot better than they have.

i put playoffs at 20% at this point - i'm taking under 85 points. i'll take any bets at playoffs y/n and under points. only really good teams can survive this kind of drought. the devils are not a really good team.

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“They’re the ones that makes it happen,” Lemaire said. “It’s not us. It’s not me. It’s not the other guy. It’s not the guy before. It’s not the guy after. It’s them. And they have to take care of business.”
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"I guess I just miss my friend" (#28)

Because of the change in playoff format it is hard, if not impossible, to use the old standard of 90 points being needed to make the playoffs. I'm sure there are outliers where a playoff team did not have 90 points, but the old standard was a good rule of thumb.

Of course no one knows what the future willl bring, however I'm almost resigned to the Devs missing the dance this year. In other years the reasons for bad stretches were resolved by players coming back from injury, or contract holdouts, and/or player trades or coaching changes. I do not see any of that on the horizon for this year's team. Barring a blockbuster deal, I think we'll have the same players in March that we do now.

And since I see us a playoff-bubble team coming into this season (win one, lose one, win three, lose two) where we're basically around .500, this horrendous mathematical start really has me questioning wheter or not we cam make up for these lost 5-6 games. With 72 games remaining (a possible 144 points) and if we need 84 more points to reach 90, then the rest of the year needs a .583 winning percentage & I think that is just out of our reach.

I'll keep an open mind for another month, and because some other teams have been equally atrocious, we still have mathematical possibilities. So we'll see where we are at with points on December 1.

i put playoffs at 20% at this point - i'm taking under 85 points. i'll take any bets at playoffs y/n and under points. only really good teams can survive this kind of drought. the devils are not a really good team.

The more I think about it, the more I'm not buying this, but there are a ton of factors here - can the old guys sustain their play, and will the young guys improve? This can once again be a 55% Fentied team, and this time with an elite goaltender. Trouble is, I can't see them doing anything more than breaking even at special teams (the days of the short-handed goal are apparently over, and the PP, while getting better nightly, is unlikely to be 'good'), so that leaves it up to the goalie to be the difference.

If guys like Salvador and Zidlicky start breaking down, it'll be trouble. They also can't sustain a long injury to either Elias or Jagr, those would be devastating. But if Loktionov and Larsson can pull their play up, 55% or better is not out of reach. And if you can do that and get goaltending (and maybe a shootout goal or two), you'll go on some long winning streaks

^7^ is just defending his sport sheeps.. as Alcibiades the exiled Athenian rationalizes in his speech to the enemy Spartans, he wants to take revenge on Athens because he loves it and can't stand to see the state it's in now - Triumph

Isn't it too soon to be talking playoffs with 72 games to go and new owners with money to buy rental players? The first 10 games we needed stand on their heads goaltending because we aren't scoring enough and we didn't get the goaltending.

IMO if this team was more talented, they could survive the start, and if they started around .500 they would be talented enough. As it is, I think they'll be better than 1 or 2 playoff teams, and outplaying those teams down the stretch, but they'll still end up missing out.

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Sumus Legio
You don't turn this around in a couple shifts. Its going to take a little time, but I know the guys will come back. Because I can see it. -- Jacques Lemaire

The Devils finished last season with an .894 save percentage, and that was with Johan Hedberg. So far this year they're at .895. I mean, yeah, if that number doesn't improve they're finished, but I think it will.

They have 20 goals in 10 games. The Columbus Blue Jackets finished with 164 in 2001-2002 - I think that's a modern-era record (1996-now), but I can't be sure. You don't think this team has a better offense than an expansion team? It's not going to be a good offense, but I don't think it's the worst in NHL history.

You can't see this team improving much? Don't really buy it. They need to dig out of this hole, but they can play a heck of a lot better than they have.

Look at the 2011-12 Minnesota Wild. 35-36-11, 166 GF (not counting an additional 11 "goals" credited for shootout wins). A lot of 2nd/3rd/4th line players on that team, just like this year's version of NJ. This Devils team could easily mirror that team, only they'll never get 11 shootout wins.

The goaltending may improve, but this team will struggle to reach 180 goals.